Means for producing vehicle-top members of plastic material or paper.



No. 766,462. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. T. W. MGFARLAND. MEANS FOR PRODUCINGVEHICLE TOP MEMBERS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL OR PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1902.

H0 MODEL, 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

T. W. MoFARLAND. MEANS FOR PRODUCING VEHICLE TOP MEMBERS OF PLASTICMATERIAL 0R PAPER.

gmoumn FILED ms. 3, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1964.

THOMAS 1V. MGFARLAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING VEHICLE-TOP MEMBERS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL OR PAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,462, dated August2, 1904.

Application filed February 3,1902. Serial No. 92,263. (No model.)

To [b7] 1071/0111, it may concern/.-

Be it known that LTnoMAs W. MoFARLANo, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for ProducingVehicle- Top Members of Plastic Material or Paper, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates more particularly to means for holding paper boardor pulp in form while' being dried or cured, so that a part of acarriage or car top may be produced therefrom; and my invention has forits primary object to provide improved and simple clamping devicescapable of thus holding the pulp or paper in such a manner that it maybe readily handled during the curing operation.

Mith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved apparatusremoved from the car or truck. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 22, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail transverse section of one edgeof one of the forms and the edge clamp. Fig. 3 s a detail section takenon the line a a, Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on theline a l, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus,showing the form supported on a truck and illustrating by dotted linesthe position in which the form is held when the truck is run into thedryingkiln. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a slightmodification. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of one part of theclamping mechanism shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail transversesection thereof. Fig. 9 is a detail of the same shown in Fig. 6; andFig. 10 illustrates a modification in the manner of supporting the formin the kiln, consisting in the use of a trolley instead of a truck.

In the example of my invention shown in the drawings the apparatus isdesigned for making either an entire carriage-top or other vehicle-topor the two ends of a car-top and at the same time pressing into saidcar-top ends a groove or gutter, if desired, for carrying ofi'rain-water.

1 .2 are two eonvexed forms arranged face to face with their convexedsides turned outwardly and each having the contour of the article to beproduced. In Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the article shown is aconcavo-convexed member 3, havinga surrounding groove or gutter 1 andbeing of sufficient dimensions to constitute the two ends of a car-topwhen cutin half transversely of the gutter. These forms 1 2 consequentlyare also provided with a surrounding groove or gutter complementary inshape to the gutter 4t, and the paper or material 3 of which the memberis to be composed, which material usually consists of a greenpaper-board, is pressed down into the groove of the forms 1 2 by meansof clamps 5, which extend around the edges of the forms, as illustratedin Fig. 1, and which clamps are provided with bosses 6, in which areloosely secured the lower ends of clamping-screws 'T,

threaded in arms 8, secured to a surrounding ring or frame 9 andprojecting over the edges of the clamps 5, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and2. Thus it will be seen that after the green board is laid upon the formand properly smoothed out to conform therewith it may be securelyclamped by means of the clamps 5 and held from shrinking during thedrying operation, it being understood that by thus fixing the edges ofthe board while it is wet and holding the same while being cured thetendency of the board to shrink will stretch it against the form withgreat power and result in a cured board possessing great rigidity andfirmness and having the exact shape or contour of the form.

After the edges of the board are pressed down into the groove& theextreme edges are carried around the rounded edges 10 of the form andare there securely clamped by clamping members 11,snrroumling the edgeof each of the forms and each partaking of its outline, so that when allof the clamping members are forced inwardly against the overhanging edgeof the board they will conform accurately to the outline of the form andsqueeze the board thereagainst with suflicient .pressure to hold it andimpart the desired shape thereto. As more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3,the inner edges or faces of the forms 1 2 are provided with shoulders12, against which the extreme edge of the board 3 abuts when it isforced inwardly by the clamp 11, and consequently the pressure of theclamp in conjunction with the shoulder 12 finishes the edge of theboard, and thus avoids the necessity of subsequently trimming it, and asa result When the board istaken from the form after it is cured itpossesses the shape of a finished car-top member without furthertreatment.

The clamping members 11 are supported and actuated by a number ofclamping-screws 13, passing through the rings 9 and having their innerends suitably connected with the members 11, so as to allow the lattermore or less universal movement. To accomplish this, the clamp members11 are provided with ears 11, between which are loosely pivoted sockets13 on pivots 13", which sockets hold the headed ends of the screws 13,the sides of the sockets being slightly rounded and the pivot beingsmaller than the passage through which itpasses.

The forms 1 2 are arranged on opposite sides of a board or block 14,having central brace or reinforce 15 supporting the central portions ofthe forms, and the edges of this block are somewhat reduced at 14 andcarried outwardly between the rings or frames 9, and thereby constitutea support for such frames, and the edges of the block 14 are providedwith diametrically opposite trunnions 16, projecting therefrom, so thatthe entire form may be supported in suitable bearings 17 (see Fig. 5) onstandards 18, carried by a truck 19, and thus conducted into the dryingor ouring kiln, (not shown,) the advantage of said trunnions 16 beingthat the form may be turned on edge, as illustrated in Fig. 5, so thatby making the truck of unusually-narrow gage a large number of the formsmay be cured at one time in a comparatively small space.

The rings 9 are each shown as composed of two members having lugs 9secured together by bolts 9, and such rings are firmly secured togetherat both sides on opposite sides of block 14 by means of the connectionshown in Fig. 4, which consists of a pair of slotted ears 20 upon eachof the rings 9 and a pair of perpendicular lugs 21, formed on each sideof block 14 and connected to the ears 20 of the lower ring by means ofbolts 22 and to the ears 20 of the upper ring by bolts 23. Asillustrated in Fig. 1, one of these connections is employed at each sideof the device adjacent to the trunnions 16, and consequently if one ofthe bolts 9 should be withdrawn on each side of the same one of theframes 9such connections may serve as a hinge, whereby either or bothhalves of either or both of the rings 9 may be turned upwardly orbackwardly with relation to its form 1 2,and as the bracketarms 8 andclamps 5 are connected to the rings 9, respectively, it follows thatwhen the sections of either of the rings 9 are thus turned back theseparts also will be lifted out of the way of the operator, rendering theentire surface of the form accessible for the reception of the board 3,which may be conveniently spread thereon while the apparatus is held inthe position shown in full lines in Fig. 5, and

when one side is supplied with the board and clamped securely inposition the apparatus may be rotated on its trunnions 16 and a boardapplied to the other side after the bolts 9, which were removed forpermitting the sections of the rings 9 to turn back, are replaced andthe clamping-screws tightened up to their I full extent.

The form of my invention shown in Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, is moreespecially adapted for the manufacture of carriage or vehicle tops 24,in which the groove hereinbefore described is omitted, and consequentlythe clamps 5 not employed. In this form the forms upon which the boardis molded may beheld on trunnions 16, as before described with referenceto the forms 1 2. One of these forms is shown at 1 in Fig. 8, and theedge of the board or top 24 is securely clamped and molded bysurrounding clamping members 25 26, which are similar to the members 11,before described, the members 25 beinglong straight members eachprovided with a plurality of clamping-screws 13, extending along theends andsides of the form 1, while the members 26 are short curvedmembers which conform to the corners and are each provided with one ofthe screws 13. In this form of the invention the surrounding frames orrings (shown at 9*) are connected together by ordinary bolts 27,passingthrough flanges 28; but the construction described with referenceto Fig. 1 may of course be employed, if desired. Each of the frames 9however, is made in two sections, each provided with a perforated hingemember 9* and these latter are overlapped and the trunnions 16 passedthrough all of them, so as to hinge the frame-sections together at thecenter. Hence when bolts 27 are withdrawn the frame sections may beturned up, carrying the clamps away from the edge of the form to affordroom for the operator to properly place the paper in position.

In Fig. 10 is shown an overhead wire 29, upon which runs a trolley 30,having a hook 31, whereby the entire form may be supported in the kilnthrough the agency of a ring or eye 32 should the truck for any reasonbe undesirable.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of twoforms secured back to back, clamping means for holding a plastic boardon said forms, and means for suspending said forms on edge while saidboard is drying or curing, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of twoforms secured back to back, a surrounding frame, clamping means securedto said frame and adapted to impinge the edges of said formsrespectively, and means secured to said surrounding frame, forsuspending said forms on edge, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of twoforms secured back to back, independent frames surrounding said formsrespectively and being hinged together,

and clamping means secured to said frames respectively for engaging theedges of said forms, respectively, substantially as set forth.

I. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of twoforms secured together back to back, two rings or frames surroundingsaid forms respectively, means for hinging said rings 01' framestogether, and clamping means carried by said rings or framesrespectively, for engaging the edges of said forms, substantially as setforth.

5. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a form,a frame composed of two hinged members surrounding said form, andclamping means carried by said frame for engaging said form,substantially as set forth.

THOMAS \V. MGFARLAND.

Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, IV. D. (JRoss.

